The Indian Premier League has been entertaining us for close to 14 years now. Over the years, the tournament has been embroiled in various controversies, but one can undeniably state that the IPL has carved a niche amongst the Indian fans. All through the year, fans support the Indian side as one unit, but sides start to form as soon as the IPL arrives.
Even the players love to perform for their respective clubs and take the tournament very seriously. Since 2008, Chennai Super Kings have been the one team to beat. They have qualified for the playoffs of the IPL every season bar 2020. However, over the last few years, Mumbai Indians have taken the position of the most successful team in the IPL.
The Mumbai-based franchise did not have the best of times in the initial part of the tournament. But once they brought Rohit Sharma into the side and handed him the captaincy, the team’s fortunes made a U-turn like never before. Mumbai Indians won their first title in 2013 and since then have collected five titles, the most in IPL history.
No other team has won more Indian Premier League titles than Mumbai Indians. With a team that has covered all bases, it seems inevitable that they will add more cups to their already rich cabinet. Here, we take a look at how many times Mumbai Indians have won the IPL and how.
1) IPL 2013 – Group Stage P 16 | W 11 | L 5
Qualifier 1: Lost to Chennai Super Kings by 48 runs
Qualifier 2: Beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 4 wickets
Final: Beat Chennai Super Kings by 23 runs
IPL 2013 was the first time MI won the IPL trophy. They had a power-packed lineup and lifted the cup by producing one of the best performances ever seen by a franchise in the final. They cruised through the group stages of the league that season winning 11 of the 16 matches and qualifying into the playoffs placed second. They came up against a resurgent Chennai Super Kings unit in the first qualifier and lost by 48 runs. That, however, did not deter Mumbai’s hopes. They got past Kolkata Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 by 4 wickets and again came up against CSK in the final match. Batting first, led by a masterful 32-ball 60 from Kieron Pollard, MI reached 148/9, by no means a par total in a T20 match. But the Mumbai Indians bowlers came out, all guns firing. Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson, and Harbhajan Singh picked two wickets each, and despite a 45-ball 63* from MS Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings could only manage 125/9 in their 20 overs. MI won their first IPL title, a trend that would go on for years.
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2) IPL 2015 – Group Stage P 14 | W 8 | L 6
Qualifier 1: Beat Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs
Final: Beat Chennai Super Kings 41 runs
After another disappointing season in 2014, Mumbai Indians raised their second IPL title in 2015. They had their ups and downs on their way into the playoffs, but once in, MI made sure they went all the way. Mumbai Indians finished second on the points table with 16 points.
They started Qualifier 1 by defeating Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs, and in the final, they once again beat their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings by 43 runs. In the final match, at Eden Gardens, Mumbai Indians truly showed their batting might. They got a towering 202/5 on the board with half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Lendl Simmons. Mitchell McClenaghan then broke Chennai’s back by three wickets as Mumbai Indians lifted their second IPL trophy.
3) IPL 2017 – Group Stage P 14 | W 10 | L 4
Qualifier 1: Lost to Rising Pune Supergiant by 20 runs
Qualifier 2: Beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 6 wickets
Final: Beat Rising Pune Supergiant by 1 run
Mumbai Indians were relentless in the group stage of IPL 2017, topping the charts with 10 wins out of 14 matches. However, they went down to the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant in the first Qualifier by 20 runs. In Qualifier 2, though, they came back with a bang and thumped Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
In the IPL finals, Mumbai once again came face to face with Rising Pune Supergiants, and what a thrilling final it turned out to be. Batting first, Mumbai’s famed batting department failed to come to the fore as they could muster only 129/8 in their 20 overs, mostly riding on Krunal Pandya’s 38-ball 47. In reply, the Pune captain Steve Smith had taken his side to the brink of a win. But some breathtaking bowling from Mitchell Johnson and Jasprit Bumrah helped Mumbai Indians win their third IPL title by just 1 run. Alongside Chennai Super Kings, they became the only other team with three IPL titles to their name.
4) IPL 2019 – Group Stage P 14 | W 9 | L 5
Qualifier 1: Beat Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets
Final: Beat Chennai Super Kings by 1 run
Mumbai Indians were back at the belligerent best in the 12th edition of the IPL. They strolled through the group stage, finishing as the top-ranked team. In Qualifier 1, they beat Chennai convincingly by 6 wickets, with Suryakumar Yadav being the star of the show.
In the final, they came up against Chennai yet again, and the side came out trumps once more in a pulsating final. Riding on a 25-ball 41 from Kieron Pollard, Mumbai reached a middling 149/8 in their first innings. Chennai, however, lost their way in the chase with only Shane Watson holding forte. But Lasith Malinga produced a brilliant last over as Mumbai Indians became IPL winners for the fourth time, winning by just one run. With this, Rohit Sharma was crowned as the most successful captain in the IPL, and Mumbai became the first team to win more than three IPL titles.
5) IPL 2020 – Group Stage P 14 | W 9 | L 5
Qualifier 1: Beat Delhi Capitals by 57 runs
Final: Beat Delhi Capitals by 5 wickets
Defending champions Mumbai Indians were expected to come up trumps in IPL 2020 after it was shifted to the UAE due to the coronavirus pandemic. And sure enough, they did not disappoint as they became IPL winners for a record fifth title.
They reached the playoffs on top spot, defeated Delhi Capitals by 57 runs in Qualifier 1 and then by 5 wickets in the final. The Rohit Sharma led side was absolutely brilliant throughout the season and cemented their place as the most dominant side in the IPL history.
Ever since taking over the captaincy from Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit has changed the face of Mumbai. Is he the best captain in the IPL? Well, that is a debate for another day, but being an IPL winner six times (five with MI, once with Deccan Chargers) is no mean feat and a record that might never be surpassed.
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